"Nazis" and "Hitler" -- the Right's casual, trivializing political insults

[IDemo]

Glenn Greenwald questions the uneven application of outrage over the use of the terms "Hitler" and "Nazi" to right-wing media and progressives (such as MoveOn.org):

UPDATE: I sent the following e-mail to the ADL, and will post a response if I receive one. The Simon Wisenethal Center does not seem to have a contact e-mail for media requests, so I intend to call them with the same inquiries:

I've written a piece today in Salon (which can be found here on the virtually daily use of "Nazis" and "Hitler" as a political insult by Fox News and right-wing talk radio, particularly directed against liberal and anti-war groups such as Daily Kos, Media Matters and MoveOn.org.

In the piece, I examine the ADL's silence in the face of this constant, trivializing use of these terms on Fox News, and contrast that silence to past denunciations from the ADL and Abraham Foxman when such terms have been used (in much less significant contexts) by the Left.

I would like to include a reaction from the ADL and Mr. Foxman in this story. I also intend to write a follow-up article and would like to interview Mr. Foxman and include the ADL's formal position there. Does the ADL plan to denounce and condemn the casual use of these terms as a political insult from the likes of Bill O'Reilly, Mark Levin and Fox? Just a fraction of them are documented in my story.

If I could interview someone at the ADL, or if you would like to send a written response, please let me know and I will include it.

Thank you -

Glenn Greenwald

[groovedaddy]

1. Nazis and Hitler are imbedded "icons" in the social and body politic

the images evoke fear and readiness to fight.

[zbdent]

2. Google "Hitlery"

and see how much the RWers feel that using "Hitler" is over the top ...